On the Wrong Side of the Bed

Written in rhyme, this is a humorous story about a very stubborn little girl who doesn’t know what she wants and doesn’t like anything, and all because she got up on the wrong side of the bed. She hates her room, she hates her clothes, and even her name, Sarah, displeases her. Her father is too thin and plays the piano all day, and everything is wrong with her mother, too. She is not happy about herself: why was she born a girl and not a boy? Her parents, offended and upset, say that if she doesn’t like the way things are, she can leave home. Sarah, not a bit fazed, goes out into the street. She gets lost almost immediately and when the police find her wandering around the city, she cannot remember where she lives. The problem is solved only when she tells them that her father is “David the pianist,” and they take her home. If she had only got up on the right side of the bed, everything would have been fine. The message of the story is delivered with great humor and understanding. As always, Uri Orlev avoids preaching morals and prefers to amuse his readers rather than teach a lesson.